Andre ‘Blackman’ Bryan, the convicted leader of the One Don faction of the Clansman gang, has been sentenced to 39.5 years in prison for various crimes related to the criminal organisation.
Bryan has been convicted of being a gang leader as well as facilitating the commission of serious offences, including murder and arson.
At the start of the proceedings, Bryan’s sentencing was halted due to a “health situation”, however, he returned to the courtroom just before 11:30am and after Tomrick Taylor was sentenced.
The highest sentence that Bryan received from Chief Justice Bryan Sykes on Monday in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston was 21.5 years for leading a criminal organisation.
Sykes said the court heard that five people died as a result of Bryan’s direction, planning and organisation of criminal acts in the gang. He said it was clear that the incidents were pre-planned and pre-meditated and involved the use of the gun and operating with impunity.
Among the persons murdered by the Bryan-led gang were a man known as ‘Doolie’, ‘Outlaw’, Jermaine Bryan and his girlfriend Cedella Walder–both killed at the same time–and a Rastafarian deportee.
As the leader of such a gang, Sykes said the starting point for his sentence should be between 25 and 30 years in prison.
He said, in his view, the starting point would be narrowed down to 27 years in prison, and the mitigating and aggravating factors would bring the sentence up or down.
Sykes noted that the One Don leader had no previous convictions against his name.
“I will never say that anyone is incapable of reform,” said Sykes in response to gang leader’s attorney that his client could be reformed.
“(I’m) hard-pressed to see it,” Sykes remarked, pointing out that it was Bryan’s arrest that led to him ceasing leadership of the criminal organisation.
In handing down the overall sentences, Sykes said some of the counts would be served concurrently while others would be served consecutively, resulting in a 39.5 prison term.
Bryan’s sentences
Count 1: Leadership of a criminal organisation – 21.5 years in prison
Count 6: Knowlingly facilitating the commission of serious offences, the murder of ‘Doolie’ – 6.5 years in prison
Count 7: Knowingly facilitating the commission of serious offences, the murders of Jermaine Bryan and Cedella Walder – 11.5 years in prison
Count 8: Knowingly facilitating the commission of an applicable offence, arson of a dwelling place – 11.5 years in prison
Count 11: Knowingly facilitating the commission of an applicable offence by a criminal organisation, in the conspiracy to murder ‘Outlaw’ – 4.5 years in prison
Count 12: Facilitating the commission of the murder of a man called ‘Outlaw’, whose real name is Patrick Tulloch, in Lauriston, Spanish Town, St Catherine, on November 2, 2017 – 6.5 years in prison
Count 15: Facilitating the commission of the murder of a Rastafarian deportee on Jones Avenue in Spanish Town, St Catherine, on January 14, 2018 – 6.5 years in prison
Count 19: Facilitating the murder of an unknown man outside Phil’s Hardware store in Spanish Town, St Catherine, in 2018 – 4.5 years in prison
Final analysis
The sentences on counts 6, 15 and 19 are to run concurrently with the sentence on count 1.
The sentences on 11 and 12 are to run consecutively to the sentence on count 1.
The sentences on count 7 and 8 are to run consecutively to the sentences on counts 11 and 12.
Overall, Bryan is to serve 21.5 years, plus 6.5 years and 11.5 years in prison for a total of 39.5 years behind bars.
Bryan had been in custody for five and a half years, pending his trial.
